Grapple questions

[silenttimo]

A few questions arose during last night's session regarding grappling.

- one of the fighter-type becomes engaged in a grapple with a gray slaadi (he wanted to pin down the slaad so that the monster would not flee or go on spellcasting) ;

1- if someone else tries to hit the monster in melee, do that PC have a chance to hit his friend ?

2- I play an archer trying to fire at the slaad (I have precise shot) : do I have a chance to hit my friend ?

3- What are the odds (both melee & range) ?

Indeed, I felt intrigued by the "improved precised shot" feat entry in the PHB telling that with this feat, I had no chance to hit a friend engaged in a grapple.

However, I checked the grappling rules and read nothing about odds to hit your ally.

Thanks in advance !!!

[Doug Sundseth]

silenttimo wrote:

1- if someone else tries to hit the monster in melee, do that PC have a chance to hit his friend ?

No.

silenttimo wrote:

2- I play an archer trying to fire at the slaad (I have precise shot) : do I have a chance to hit my friend ?

Yes.

silenttimo wrote:

3- What are the odds (both melee & range) ?

50% usually. (You "roll randomly" to determine the target. With two medium creatures, that would most logically be a 50/50 thing. It's fairly common to give an increased chance to hit the larger creature in a grapple between creatures of different sizes.

silenttimo wrote:

However, I checked the grappling rules and read nothing about odds to hit your ally.

It's in footnote (3) of the Armor Class Modifiers table.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm

Note that footnote (3) only applies to ranged attacks against characters involved in a grapple. It's one of the more obscure placements of an important rule. (Frankly, it's about the most obscure possible placement of an important rule.)

[Fake Healer]

Nice response Doug, I am in agreement totally (its easy to agree with correct answers;P).
FH

[silenttimo]

Thanks Doug !!

Great answer.
Indeed, improved precise shot becomes much more interesting...

Another archery question :

I have taken the "distracting attack" ranger's replacement feature form PHB2 (that I get to perform with my longbow).

It says that when I hit an enemy, that enemy is considered flanked until one of my ally has attacked this enemy or before I get new attacks during the following round.

- Is it possible to distract an enemy each round ?
- If the answer is yes, I could distract 2 or more enemies during the same round (my BAB is over 6), couldn't I ?

Thanks.

[silenttimo]

Upping question !